Awards / Awards Shows

Christina Aguilera's tribute to Whitney Houston during Sunday's AMAs was heartfelt, lovely and fabulous ... according to Whitney's sister-in-law.

We got Pat Houston at LAX and asked what she thought of folks hating on Christina's performance -- with some even suggesting it made P!nk cringe.

Pat's not buying that -- in fact, she says the homage was "amazing." According to her, the only opinions that matter are Christina's and Whit's fam ... and it sounds like she nailed the latter.

As for P!nk's apparent reaction, Pat's got an explanation. Hint ... what does everyone do right before they cry?

Selena Gomez wasn't lip-syncing during her American Music Awards performance Sunday ... she did what other performers Christina Aguilera, Nick Jonas and Hailee Steinfeld did and used a backing track.

Twitter went off on Selena's first public performance since getting a kidney transplant earlier this summer. Fans called her a "fraud" and accused her of lip-syncing her new single, "Wolves," since she kept her head down and covered her face for most of it.

But sources close to Bieber's gal tell us that's not true and she only used a backing track on the chorus, which is common during live performances. She also didn't dance because she wanted to sing live. It's also possible the live feed wasn't mixed properly for TV.

As for looking miserable during the performance ... we're told it was all part of the act and that she wasn't sad at all.

P!nk's death-defying stunt for the American Music Awards was "ridiculous," according to The Chainsmokers' Andrew Taggart -- and that's a good thing.

We got the duo heading to Madeo Sunday night in L.A. after the AMAs and we asked Andrew about P!nk's performance as she hung off the side of the JW Marriott Hotel ... a good 34 floors up!

Christina Aguilera saw P!nk's grimace and raised her ... a grin.

We got Christina leaving The Nice Guy in WeHo after the American Music Awards. Judging from the stone-cold look on her face Xtina'd already heard about P!nk's facial reaction to her Whitney Houston tribute during the show.

P!nk's apparent reaction went viral with many thinking she was not feeling the performance. Well, Christina gave us her own reaction ... to the reaction.

They've had bad blood before -- remember Christina tried punching P!nk in the face years ago. Still, P!nk tried early on to diffuse this AMA beef with a tweet because she said she loved the performance.

Wonder what Christina thought of P!nk's act.

The 2017 American Music Awards brought out Hollywood's music elite in force, and perhaps to no one's surprise ... everybody was looking sharp for the show.

Stars like Jamie Foxx, Diana Ross, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Kelly Clarkson, P!nk, Keith Urban, Nick Jonas, Macklemore, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Hailee Steinfeld, Niall Horan, Imagine Dragons, Christina Aguilera, and more were in attendance.

But it wasn't just musicians that showed -- actors, actresses and other A-listers made appearances as well ... including Chrissy Metz, Billy Eichner, Lea Michele, Nick Cannon, Ansel Elgort, Heidi Klum, Nicole Kidman and the kids from "Stranger Things."

P!nk sure knows her best angles -- 'cause she just did an entire performance on the side of a building ... and made it look effortless.

The pop star did the death-defying stunt Sunday night in L.A. for the 2017 American Music Awards -- in which she hung off the side of the JW Marriott Hotel next to the Microsoft Theater while singing her song "Beautiful Trauma" ... just about 34 floors high.

While the rest of us were covering our eyes in complete fear for her safety, P!nk looked like she'd just gotten hired as a Cirque du Soleil ... twirling around like a veteran acrobat.

As we reported ... P!nk definitely got some practice in ahead of the performance, which seems like it paid off big time.

Kids, don't try this at home.

Kelly Clarkson and P!nk will be honoring first responders everywhere during their opening performance at the American Music Awards ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us the 2 pop stars are planning a tribute for police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, disaster relief teams and everyone in between who shows up at the first sign of trouble to kick off the program Sunday evening.

We're told there will be a photo montage displaying pics of different scenarios where first responders were crucial this year -- including at shootings, hurricanes, fires, floods and other natural disasters that befell the country in 2017.

Sources say it's being planned to be an incredibly powerful and emotional moment in the show -- so much so, that it even got standing ovations during dress rehearsal.

Jamie Foxx introduced the pair before they launched into a duet of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts."

'Rap City' host Big Tigger says he decided to drop to one knee at the BET Hip Hop Awards to seize the moment, and show support for Colin Kaepernick.

We spoke to Tigger about taking a knee Tuesday night as he entered the event. He was also wearing a black Kaepernick jersey -- but he told us the move wasn't a planned thing -- more like he just happened upon the "right place at the right time."

BT says this isn't just about sports now, instead it's a national issue now -- and he wanted to step into the fray ... just like Jay-Z and President Trump have.

Seth McFarlane cracked a joke during the 2013 Oscar Nominations about Harvey Weinstein and his apparent insatiable appetite for actresses ... and it seemed the audience was in on it.

Seth was presenting the nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and suggested the nominees were powerful enough to rebuff Weinstein's advances.

Check out the clip. The audience was super uncomfortable.

And Tina Fey wrote a joke on "30 Rock" for Jane Krakowski's character, who quipped, "I'm not afraid of anyone in show business. I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than 3 occasions ... out of 5."

Michael K. Williams says if Sean Spicer's ready to turn the page on the Trump chapter of his life -- as his Emmys skit seemed to indicate -- then why shouldn't Hollywood welcome him with open arms?

We got the Emmy nominated 'Night Of' star Monday, and he sounded impressed with Spicer's bit on the award show. While some celebs have groused at the idea of "laughing with" an ex-face of the Trump administration -- Michael's way more forgiving.

He explained why Spicey deserves another shot, and as fans of "The Wire" know ... it's hard to argue with Omar.

Hell, even Alec Baldwin extended an olive branch Sunday night -- so, maybe Spicer could have a future in Hollywood after all? As MKW put it ... never say never.

Dick Gregory's family didn't hear a peep from anyone involved with the Emmys regarding honoring the iconic comedian, and they absolutely consider it a slap in the face.

One of Dick's sons, Christian Gregory, tells TMZ the omission Sunday night from the In Memoriam segment was especially disrespectful due to his father's legacy. Christian points out most actors and producers of color wouldn't even be working in TV without Dick's civil rights activism and success in entertainment.

As we reported, Gregory, Charlie Murphy, Harry Dean Stanton and Frank Vincent were all left out of the tribute. Murphy's camp had been contacted for photos, but he was still absent from the broadcast segment.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences hasn't offered an explanation, but they've added all of them -- except Vincent -- to the Academy's website memoriam.

Chris Pratt gave us a peek into the current state of his relationship with Anna Faris, and it's pretty clear he still has love for her.

Check out the video ... it starts out a little rough, with Chris explaining he didn't get an invite to the Emmys.

After some dinosaur talk, he squarely addresses Anna and says she killed as a presenter and then gives a plug for her show.

As we reported, the couple has separated and both have stopped wearing their wedding rings. But it sure seems ... no hard feelings.

The stars were out in droves Sunday night after the 69th annual Emmy awards in L.A., and the place to be was Beauty & Essex in Hollywood ... it actually looked like you needed an Emmy to get inside.

Donald Glover came with 2 and what looked like a PEH ... that's personal Emmy holder. Alexander Skarsgard, a supporting actor winner for "Big Little Lies," played doorman and didn't want to let "30 Rock" alum Jack McBrayer inside.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won for "Veep" again breaking the record for most Emmys won by a performer for the same show, Busy Philipps, and Keegan-Michael Key were there too. And don't forget Sarah Paulson.

Looked like an epic party ... if you could get inside.

Chris Hardwick thinks someone's got some 'splainin' to do after the Emmys overlooked several celebs, including a "legend" in its In Memoriam segment.

We got Chris leaving Beauty & Essex Sunday night in L.A., and brought him up to speed -- the Emmys forgot to honor Dick Gregory, Charlie Murphy, Harry Dean Stanton and Frank Vincent who all died this year.

The showrunners for the 2017 Emmys forgot to honor some noteworthy performers during their in memoriam segment ... including Dick Gregory, Charlie Murphy, Harry Dean Stanton and Frank Vincent who all died this year.

During the memorial montage of Hollywood stars who passed away so far in 2017, a bunch of TV stars, producers and other figures in showbiz were remembered except the above 4 guys ... and many people noticed the omissions, including Common.

It's odd ... all 4 actors had performed in TV shows and series in their careers at one point or another. Gregory had starred in "Reno 911!" and "Wonder Showzen", Murphy in "Chappelle's Show" and "The Boondocks" and others, Stanton in a number of TV roles and Vincent in "The Sopranos."

Still ... the Emmys failed to recognize them regardless.

Sean Spicer seems to have fully turned on Donald Trump ... 'cause he just made a cameo at the Emmys to dog his former boss alongside Stephen Colbert.

Colbert, who's hosting this year, was going in on the Prez at the start of the show Sunday when he eventually cracked a joke about the size of the audience, saying it was impossible to know how big it was without some help. That's when he intro'd Spicer, who came onstage with his signature podium.

Spicer came out suited and booted and did a callback to one of his first press conferences under Trump, saying ... "This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period! Both in person and around the world." Colbert quipped ... "Wow, that really soothes my ego."

The audience roared at the surprise visit from the former White House Press Secretary, who resigned earlier this year.